Environmental group threatens SLO County over water use

August 27, 2015

A California advocacy group is threatening to sue San Luis Obispo County for not applying state environmental regulations when issuing permits for the construction of wells.

An attorney for the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) sent a notice to the county on Wednesday stating the organization’s intent to file one or more lawsuits. The attorney sent the notice just prior to the expiration of the county’s emergency ordinance, which limited the drilling of new wells in the Paso Robles groundwater basin.

The ordinance, which expired Thursday, prohibited the construction of new wells unless the well projects involved water conservation efforts of equal size elsewhere in the basin. The county is currently considering making that requirement permanent and applying it to other troubled groundwater basins, but the board of supervisors has yet to rule on the matter.

C-WIN is demanding the county reject all permit applications for new wells in the Paso Robles basin unless environmental impact reviews are conducted prior to approval. The group states environmental impact reviews of new wells are required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

C-WIN’s notice states the county can avoid litigation if it meets the advocacy group’s demand.

Otherwise, C-WIN plans to initially sue the county over the approval of new wells in the Paso Robles basin. The lawsuit may ultimately address all new wells in the county, a press release issued by C-WIN states.

The C-WIN news release also states the county’s water conservation program, which is based on offsets, is inadequate to stop overdraft of local aquifers.

“The only option left for protecting dwindling groundwater resources is to apply CEQA to all new permit applications,” said C-WIN spokesperson Carolle Krieger. “Without specific language that proscribes overpumping, any proposed water conservation program is meaningless. It’s just verbiage, hot air, and wheel spinning.”

Krieger added California has a water emergency, and the situation in San Luis Obispo County is especially dire.

Unfortunately people now have to take these actions and threaten litigation. Once people lived normally. Then, big ag comes in, takes all the water, makes a ton of money and then leaves. Do they care if the ground goes dry? No. Their pockets are lined.
This has nothing to do with ‘a guy’ wanting to build a house. Etc. If you really believe that, you’re kidding yourself.
There is now a huge problem where there was not before.

Though, still the one main factor remains and grows every singe day: overpopulation.
Big ag wouldn’t be able to reap the enormous profits if there were simply not.as.many people. You wouldn’t have the need to plant 100,000 acres. But now you do, and they are ‘helping to feed a growing population.

That’s what this is about. It is a last chance to try to protect our natural resources before yet again, they are gone.

Just another fornication move on the small guy you owns a piece of property and wants to build a home on it. They will financially impact their projects with study after study until it becomes not financially feasible to continue. Why not eliminate the restraints on the residential users and address those with the big straws in the acquifer? Easy answer $$$$
And once again the government is putting forth a 1 shoe fits all policy. Example is that it’s been reported that the wells in the Atascadero Mutual Water system have actually gone up. But at the same time many are being mandated to limit water use beyond reasonable expectations for the water that is available. Consequently many are losing thousand of dollars worth of mature landscaping just to make some politician happy. Of course we all need to conserve our water but let’s do it in a reasonable manner.

California has a greater financial disaster so maybe the C-WIN members will spend their money to fix this problem first!! Nobody is thirsty but the State can’t afford itself. Yes it sounds like commie talk, just clearing the point.